"Delight and excitement" as Odisha prepares to host FIH Hockey Pro League matches: State Sports Minister
Oct 25, 2022
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], October 25 : Odisha Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera said on Tuesday that there is "delight and excitement" as the state prepares to host matches of FIH Pro Hockey League 2022-23.
With just three days to go for the much-awaited FIH Hockey Pro League 2022-2023, teams India, Spain and New Zealand have arrived in Bhubaneswar.
"Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Junior Men's Hockey World Cup 2021 and the FIH Hockey Pro League held earlier this year were closed to spectators. Fortunately, situations have improved and fans will return in large numbers. There is delight and excitement. As always, arrangements have been made to ensure spectators have a comfortable and memorable experience," said the minister as per a statement from the Department of Sports of the government.
Team India which arrived days prior to Diwali has commenced their training at their home ground, Kalinga Stadium. With Chief Coach Graham Reid at the helm, the team looks confident and leaves no stone unturned to perform a powerful performance.
Sale of tickets both online and offline have also commenced and there is excitement amongst hockey lovers of Odisha to come and cheer the teams from the stadium gallery.
The hockey players of Odisha are looking forward to the thrilling action that awaits when India, Spain and New Zealand clash.
Infrastructure, security, safety, hospitality, transport, power, all things are being streamlined by officials of the Sports Department, Hockey India and Govt agencies to ensure this event is on par with the standards set by FIH and Odisha State Govt. the minister added.
Noteworthy, Kalinga Hockey Stadium dons a new synthetic turf with floodlights as a lead-up to the Men's Hockey World Cup 2023.
Hockey players and cadets of Sports Hostel and Hockey High-Performance Centre are eagerly awaiting to watch their heroes and best hockey players demonstrate their sporting prowess.
This edition of FIH Hockey Pro League is going to be a dry run for the upcoming World Cup in 2023, albeit at a smaller scale.
Many officials and staff who were not part of the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup are being trained and given roles and responsibilities at this tournament to acclimatise them to different functional areas for the smooth hosting of the marque World Cup of January 2023.
